Under Mary's Oak

by Tanya Carlysle

‘Yes, yes,’ interrupted the inspector. ‘I have been doing this job for a while, you know.’

  ‘Sorry, sir. Anyway, he thinks the victim was killed where he was found. Probable cause of death was a single blow to the head, but you know what these pathologists are like. He didn’t want to commit himself until after the post mortem.’

  ‘Any idea when that will be?’

  ‘He said he’ll do it first thing tomorrow morning.’

  ‘Great. That’ll help. Any idea on the weapon?

  ‘He thinks the wound looks cylindrical but, again, he doesn’t really want to commit himself to what might have caused it.’

  ‘OK, I suppose we have to live with that until tomorrow morning. No sign of a weapon, I suppose?’

  ‘No, ‘fraid not but CSI are still searching the scene.’

  ‘I still can’t get used to calling them CSI. What’s wrong with SOCO? It worked perfectly well before all these American TV series.’

  ‘Sorry, sir. Anyway they’ve found a few cigarette ends and discarded chewing gum, but it’s a well used area and they could be from almost anyone. There’s a partial footprint. It looks like the killer stood in the blood, but the heavy dew has blurred it a bit. And there are no tyre marks that will help us, the whole area behind the pavilion is tarmac. The grass is fairly well trodden under the tree, but I gather it’s a favourite spot for the pupils to spend their lunch times.’

  ‘Not any more, I suspect.’

  ‘No, you’re probably right,’ agreed DS Todd.

  ‘Has someone spoken with the wife?’

  ‘Yes, she’s pretty cut up. She left home about 6pm last night to spend the weekend at her mother’s in Gateshead. She saw her husband as she left.’

  ‘We’re sure she was in Gateshead?’

  ‘Yes. Her mother confirms she arrived just before 6.45pm, and they went to the local pub for a drink at about 8pm arriving home just before 10.’

  ‘That seems pretty solid. What about the son?’

  ‘That she doesn’t know. She thought he was at home and was surprised to hear he wasn’t. Apparently he’s not answering his phone.’

  ‘Right, we need to find him then. Get a list of his friends from his mother and see if you can track him down. Did she offer any suggestions of anyone who might want to harm her husband?’

  ‘No. She said everyone liked him. She did say he’d been a bit down a while ago. He had some health problems and was having to think about early retirement. It would have made a big difference to their income. But apparently he was much better lately, even talking about taking her on holiday to Las Vegas and buying a new car.’

  ‘Sounds as though he’s got some money from somewhere then. Ask the other caretakers if they know anything.’

  ‘Will do, sir.’

  ‘And what about this equipment store that was open?’

  ‘The groundsman found it first when he arrived this morning. Apparently it’s not unusual, the PE staff sound a bit casual. They’re due back from Durham soon. I’ll try to find out more. There’s nothing of real value in there, but you’d think they’d take a bit more care. After all anyone could sneak in the gate behind the pavilion.’

  ‘Yes, and I suspect that’s one of our problems. Anyone could have done it. Do we have any idea why the caretaker might have been down there? It’s a fair distance from his house.’

  ‘The groundsman said he used to walk the perimeter of the site most nights. He was very conscientious.’

  ‘Sounds like an all-round good guy, then. Maybe we should dig a bit deeper into Mr Hart. Nobody’s that good! This sudden change in fortunes is a bit suspicious.’

  ‘He might have won the lottery!’

  ‘Yes, and pigs might fly. Keep digging, Todd. I’d better get myself up to the school to see the headmistress. She’ll no doubt want to get home. These schoolteachers don’t know the meaning of a full day’s work.’

  ‘I don’t think that’s quite fair,’ began Todd, but the inspector had gone, his raincoat flapping as he began to walk briskly towards the main school building.

  ‘Is the headmistress still here?’ Jenkins asked of Josie as he entered her office.

  ‘Of course. I’ll tell her you’re here.’

  A few minutes later he was seated opposite Laura, who said, ‘Thank you for getting back to me.’

  ‘No problem. I expect you want to get off.’

  ‘I’m afraid that won’t be for a while. We’ve still got to contact all the parents. I couldn’t do it until I knew what I was allowed to say.’

  ‘Oh, right.’ The inspector looked surprised.

  ‘I don’t think you understand, inspector. This is a large community and the girls are going to be very upset when they find out what happened. Mr Hart was well known to them all and they liked him. And the parents will worry about the safety if there’s a murderer on the loose. I have a responsibility to all of them. And I couldn’t release any details until I was sure you’d spoken to Shirley.’

  ‘I see. Well, we have spoken to Mrs Hart who was, as you said, with her mother. I’d rather you kept the details to a minimum. Leave that to us.’

  ‘But before Tuesday morning there will be information from the media. I would like the parents to hear of the incident from me, rather than the newspapers. The Journal’s already been on the phone.’

  ‘Very well. For the time being, you can tell them Mr Hart was found dead in the school grounds and the police have been involved as the death was suspicious. By Tuesday we may have more information. Who knows, we may have caught the culprit!’

  ‘Does that mean you have someone in mind?’

  ‘No, I wouldn’t say that. We are pursuing several lines of enquiry.’

  Another cliché, thought Laura.

  ‘I’ll need contact details for you over the weekend. And if you could have details for other staff I might need to contact, it would be helpful. I expect we’ll be about for the next few days. We’re talking to your neighbours to see if anyone saw anything,’ the inspector continued.

  ‘There isn’t anyone who lives near the Pavilion unfortunately. And the road behind is very quiet. We’ve always counted ourselves as fortunate in that respect.’

  ‘Yes, I was surprised that you don’t lock the gate. Aren’t you worried about intruders?’

  ‘As I said no-one lives round there, and there’s nothing of real value down there apart from the tractors and mowers and they’re well secured. And the wall isn’t high enough to act as a deterrent. There’s no access for vehicles across the fields, so the open gate doesn’t really present a threat to the school as a whole. But, I take your point. Perhaps we have been a bit lax.’

  ‘You can’t be too careful these days.’

  ‘No, I suppose you’re right,’ agreed Laura. ‘Oh, I’ve checked on whether the sports hall was let out last night, and my PA, Mrs Matthews, has the details for you.’

  Just then the phone on her desk rang.

  ‘Excuse me, inspector. Hello?’

  ‘Laura, it’s Bob. The mini-buses have just pulled into the school grounds, and there are quite a few parents waiting to pick up their daughters.’

  ‘Thanks, Bob.’ Turning to the inspector, she said, ‘The PE staff are just returning. I presume you want to speak to them?’

  ‘Yes, thanks. If you send them to the Pavilion that would be helpful.’

  ‘Will you keep in touch with me over the weekend?’ Laura asked. ‘I’ll give you my mobile number, or I can ring you or come in to see you if you prefer. I’ll be in on Monday anyway.’

  ‘I’ll see you on Monday morning then. 9.30.’

  And he turned to go, this time gathering the belt of his raincoat to make sure it did not catch on the handle again.

  Chapter Seven

  Laura went out to the car park just as the girls were disembarking.

  ‘Hi, Mrs Jessop,’ Sarah, one of the older girls, called out. ‘We won!’

&n
bsp; ‘That’s great,’ replied Laura. ‘I bet Durham weren’t very pleased!’

  There was intense rivalry between the two schools and Durham’s tennis players were very strong. It wouldn’t have been an easy victory.

  Jen Smythe, the Head of PE, laughed as she replied, ‘No, they most certainly were not. And the U13 and U14 rounders teams both won as well. We’ve had a good day.’

  ‘Well done, I’m very pleased,’ said Laura. ‘When you’ve seen all the girls off will you and your staff pop in to have a word with me? And don’t let any of the girls go down to the Pavilion or the PE store. We’ve had a bit of trouble down there.’

  A few minutes later three young and energetic PE staff presented themselves at Laura’s door.

  ‘Is there a problem?’ asked Jen.

  ‘Come in and close the door,’ said Laura. ‘Yes, I’m afraid there is. This morning, John Grainger came in to mow the field and he found Richard Hart’s body.’

  The three young women all gasped.

  ‘How terrible,’ said Jill Cox. ‘What happened?’

  ‘I’m afraid it looks as though he was murdered.’

  ‘Murdered?’ Jen was the first to recover from the shock of the news. ‘Who would do such a thing? He’s … was such a lovely man.’

  All three looked close to tears as Jackie Buxton made the connection. ‘So was he found in the Pavilion?’

  ‘No, he was actually found under Mary’s Oak, but the police have cordoned off the whole area, while they search for clues.’ Laura watched as the three processed the information. ‘I’m afraid they want to speak to you this afternoon. It appears the sports store was left open. That’s what alerted John in the first place.’

  Jen looked at Jill. ‘You were down there yesterday, weren’t you? Did you remember to check it was locked up when you finished?’

  A red colouration spread up Jill’s neck and into her cheeks, as she tried to recall. ‘I think so, but it was a bit hectic at the end. Gemma Dyson twisted her ankle and I had to help her up to school. Then I went back and made sure the Pavilion was all locked up,’ and then she remembered. ‘I looked across to the store and it looked as though it had been locked. I thought one of the girls had done it. The key was back on the hook. No, I’m sorry. I didn’t actually go and check. I can’t be sure.’

  ‘But is there a connection?’ asked Jackie.

  ‘I don’t know,’ replied Laura. ‘But the police need you to tell them what you’ve just told me. Don’t worry about it. Just tell the truth.’

  Jill burst into floods of tears, and Jackie put her arm round to comfort her friend.

  ‘Jill, you’re not in trouble. These things happen. At the moment all that’s going on is that the police are trying to make sense of the scene they found this morning,’ Laura said reassuringly. ‘They’re not going to lock you up just because you left the store unlocked,’ she added in an attempt at levity.

  The attempt failed, and Jill continued to sob.

  ‘Jen, why don’t you all three go down to the Pavilion and see the inspector?’ encouraged Laura. ‘The sooner you get it over with the better. It won’t do Jill any good to brood over it.’

  When they had gone, Laura called her Senior Management Team together again.

  ‘Right, where are we up to?’ she asked.

  ‘Assuming you’ve just told the PE staff, all of the teaching staff with the exception of Kate Greenwood have been contacted. I’ve left my number on Kate’s mobile and asked her to call me back,’ said Amy.

  Bob and Josie confirmed that between them they had contacted all of the non-teaching staff. Josie had also managed to discover the address of Shirley’s mother in Gateshead and offered to drive over there that evening.

  ‘I think it will be easier to talk to her face to face,’ she said. ‘But I don’t know what I’m going to say. She’ll be heartbroken and it’s so much worse because of the circumstances.’

  ‘Yes, it is,’ agreed Laura. ‘Thank you for that. Will you tell her we’re all thinking of her, and to take as much time as she needs? I’ll be in touch with her over the weekend. Did you sort out cover for the reception desk on Tuesday?’

  ‘Yes, that’s all organised.’

  ‘I’ve spoken to the inspector this afternoon but I haven’t learnt much more,’ reported Laura. ‘He doesn’t want us to give any details of the murder. I suppose they don’t know much yet anyway. He says we can refer to it as ‘suspicious’ and say the police are involved. How are you doing with the press release, Reena?’

  ‘I was just waiting till I knew whether Shirley had been informed, and what the inspector said. I’ll bring it in for you to approve, and then I’ll contact The Journal and the Northern Echo who’ve already rung. The local radio has been on the phone as well as Look North and North East Tonight so I’ll get back to them as well.’

  ‘Well done, everyone. That’s really great. Amy, you and I will finalise the e-mail for parents while Josie sets it up to send. Have you got the list of those parents who haven’t got e-mail addresses, Josie?’

  ‘Yes, it’s only twenty three of them now.’

  ‘That’s good. Bob, can I ask you to ring those parents and give them the news. Just give them the details as in the e-mail and say you don’t know any more if they try to ask for more information. I’m really very grateful to you all. It’s been a dreadful day and we’ve all had a terrible shock. Let’s just get through this last bit and we can go home and try to come to terms with it all.’

  After she and Amy finalised the e-mail and Reena had shown her the press release Laura picked up the phone to call Arthur again.

  ‘Hello, Arthur. I’m just ringing to let you know what’s happening.’ And she proceeded to give him a summary of the day’s events.

  ‘So do the police have any leads?’ Arthur asked.

  ‘Not that they’re telling me,’ Laura replied.

  ‘Well, that’s not good enough,’ said Arthur. ‘We have to know what’s happening. Do they seem as though they know what they’re doing?’

  ‘It’s a bit soon to tell,’ Laura began. ‘The inspector reminds me of Columbo, that American detective that used to be on the television.’

  ‘You mean that bumbling fool?’ spluttered Arthur.

  ‘Well, yes that’s the impression he gave. But he always got his man, or woman, in the end. But I mean visually rather than actually. It’s quite uncanny.’

  ‘This has to be sorted out quickly. You know how badly something like this could affect us. There are other schools in the area, and if they think they can steal a march on us they’ll have no qualms about taking our pupils.’

  Laura knew that this was true. Not only were there other very good girls’ schools in the Newcastle area, there were also several co-ed schools. These had been boys’ schools originally but had turned co-ed in an attempt to keep their numbers up. They were especially keen to attract clever girls. Competition was fierce and the whiff of scandal could cause serious damage. A school in the south had a scandal involving a suspicious death which later turned out to be a tragic accident. But, during the period of uncertainty, several parents took their children out and placed them in neighbouring schools because they didn’t think the school could protect them. The whole business dragged on for several weeks and was very bad news for that particular school.

  ‘You must steer this inspector chap in the right direction. He needs to widen his search. It can’t be connected with the school.’

  Laura tried to calm her Chairman down. He could be a bit unreasonable at times. She knew he was only thinking of the school, but the likelihood of her influencing the investigation was remote to say the least.

  ‘I’ll do what I can,’ she promised. ‘If I hear any more, I’ll be in touch with you.’

  As she replaced the receiver she breathed out slowly. What a day it had been. It was hard to believe that only a few hours ago she had been looking forward to celebr
ating her birthday with Robert. He would have gone to so much trouble to organise the day for her. What a great shame. She really was lucky to have him in her life.

  She picked up the receiver again and dialled home.

  ‘Hello, darling,’ she said. ‘I think I’m just about ready to come home.’

  ‘You sound exhausted,’ replied Robert. ‘Has it been bad?’

  ‘Not the best day of my life,’ admitted Laura.

  ‘Poor you. I’ll be there in a few minutes to pick you up. See you soon.’

  Laura went to look for her team and discovered them sitting in Bob’s office nursing cups of tea.

  ‘Do you want one?’ asked Josie.

  ‘No, I’m fine thanks. Have we finished? Is it time to go home?’

  ‘Yes, I think so,’ Amy replied. ‘I don’t think there’s any more we can do today.’

  ‘Right. Get yourselves off then, and thanks once again. You’ve all been marvellous. I’ll be in touch if I hear anything. And Josie, give my love to Shirley please.’

  Chapter Eight

  As they drove home Robert said, ‘You just lie back and relax. I thought you might prefer just to have a quiet night in tonight, so I’ve rearranged our dinner reservation.’

  ‘Thank you, darling. You’re right, the last thing I really want to do tonight is to celebrate. Did they mind?’

  Robert had booked a meal at a favourite eating house in Newcastle overlooking the Tyne which was renowned for its fish menu. They both enjoyed the ambience of this intimate restaurant, and were well known to the maitre d’.

  ‘No, Henry was very understanding. I didn’t give him any details of course, but I said you had a problem that you had to sort out. I’ve re-booked it for a fortnight’s time. You can have a proper ‘birthday’ then.’

  ‘Mmm, that’ll be lovely,’ Laura said drowsily.

  All too soon they were home, and Laura kicked off her shoes as soon as they were inside. Going through to the living room she saw the table laid for two, complete with candles and a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket.

  Oh, this looks perfect,’ sighed Laura. ‘You are good to me.’

  ‘Well, just sit down and I’ll pour you a glass of bubbly while you open your present.’

  He handed over a large parcel, tied with a big red bow. It was the size of a very large box of chocolates, but thicker and heavier. Laura undid the bow carefully, and then ripped at the paper as she couldn’t contain her excitement any longer. Underneath the paper were layers of bubble wrap which she hastily pulled apart to reveal a painting.